Rangers legend is set to have surgery after announcing he will miss the 2021 season.
On Monday morning, former New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist announced via social media that he will be undergoing open heart surgery.
Lundqvist, who signed a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals in October after spending his entire 15-year career in New York, announced on Dec. 17th that he would be missing the 2020 season to address a heart issue he had been having.
On Dec. 23rd, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan shared, to the surprise of most, that Lundqvist had been playing with and known about this condition for most of his career.
It is unclear when exactly the surgery will take place, but in his post, Lundqvist said it would be an aortic valve replacement as well as an aortic root and ascending aortic replacement.
At 38 years old, the prospect of Lundqvist resuming his playing career seems bleak, especially after such a serious operation, but that hasn’t been ruled out as of yet.
In a November interview with Johan Rylander of Goteborgs-Posten, Lundqvist had mentioned that he will be working with the Rangers in some capacity long-term after retiring from the league.
Because of this surgery, that might happen sooner rather than later.
Lundqvist has received an outpouring of support since sharing this news with the world, as would be expected. Lundqvist, a Rangers legend, is one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history and a surefire future Hall of Famer.
His impact on New York, the Rangers, and the game of hockey has been immense and his work on and off the ice has and always will be praised by all.